DCCC chair: Jan. record in member donations

2/7/13 3:25 PM EST

Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told House Democrats Thursday the committee had a record-breaking month in terms of member participation, raking in roughly $2 millionfrom members in January.

The previous best January for member donations was $1.3 million, and it’s the most lucrative start to an election cycle for House Democrats, according to a Democratic source.

According to a the source present at the House Democratic retreat, where Israel briefed members, the DCCC chair told the caucus the committee again planned on making 2014 a “referendum on the tea party Congress.”

"Republicans are in disarray and on defense going through makeovers and fakeovers while we are aggressive, on offense and united,” he told members.

Israel told the caucus that President Barack Obama had committed to at least eight fundraisers for House and Senate Democratic committees campaign committees in 2013 alone.

Obama spoke with House Democrats earlier Thursday at their retreat in Lansdowne, Virginia. In a closed-press question-and-answer session, he told members he wanted Democrats to “to be back in charge of the House of Representatives in the last two years of my administration.”